Wire-rope clamp.



PATENTBD NOV. 28,1905.

C. H. BILLMAN. WIRBROPE CLAMP, APPLIOA'I'ION FILED F3318, 1005.

CHARLES H. BILLMAN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

WIRE-ROPE CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1905.

Application filed February 18, 1905. Serial No. 246.321.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. BILLMAN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire- Rope Glamps,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to clamps for wire ropes, and particularly to that class of clamps designed to secure together the ends of a rope passing around a thimble; and it has for its object the production of a simple and effective device for this purpose which may be cheaply constructed.

It consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts,which will be readily understood by reference to the description of the drawings and to the claims to be hereinafter given.

Of the drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan of a bight of wire rope, showing this improved clamp therefor. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 represents an inverted plan of the same. Fig. 4 represents a cross-section on line 4 4 on Fig. 1. Fig. 5 represents a view of the inner face of one of the clamping plates, showing depressions therein adapted to register with the strands of rope; and Fig. 6 represents a modification of the same.

Similar characters designate like parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings, 10 represents a wire rope of ordinary construction having its end 11 turned back on itself forming a bight 12 around a metal thimble 13. The end 11 is clamped firmly against the main portion of the rope 10 by means of the clamping-plates 14, each of which is provided with two lines of openings 15, each line of which has therein a plurality of such openings 15. These openings are not directly opposite each other, but are staggeredor, in other Words, each opening in one line is intermediatethe openings in the opposite line. The two lines of openings are separated from each other a distance equal to the diameter of the rope to be clamped. The plates 14 are clamped together by means of the U- shaped bails 16, each of which is provided with parallel threaded ends 17, which pass through said openings 15 and extend beyond one of the plates 14. Each end 17 projecting beyond the plate 14, is provided with aclamping-nut 18, by which the end 11 and rope 10 may be firmly clamped together to hold the thimble 13 in position. The main object of making the openings 15 staggered is to permit the ends 17 to straddle the rope 10 in close contact therewith and at the same time be sufficiently distant from each other to permit the nuts 18 to be readily operated upon. This secures a much firmer clamping, as the distance between the two lines of ends 17 being just equal to the diameter of the rope 10 and end 11 these two members are kept in line, while the effectiveness of the clamping is further increased on account of the nuts 18 on the threaded ends 17 overlapping that portion of the plate bearing directly upon the end 11. The inner face of the plates 14 are provided with a plurality of recesses or indentations 19, adapted to grip upon the rope to prevent any slipping when the plates 14 are clamped thereon. A modified form of these recesses is shown in Fig. 6; but the preferred form is that shown in Fig. 5, in which the recesses extend longitudinally of said plates intermediate the two lines of openings 15 15, these recesses 19 being in echelon and adapted to form a bed for the strands 20 of the rope 10.

The plates of this device are capable of being made of wrought-iron or sheet-steel and occupy but very little space, are neat in appearance, and are cheaply constructed. When clamped in position, the ropes are prevented from any endwise movement to cause injury thereto.

It is believed that the advantages of this invention are obvious and that the operation will be thoroughly understood without any further description.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A clamp for wire ropes consisting of two plates, each provided with a plurality of openings in two lines, a distance apart equal to the diameter of the rope to be clamped, the openings in said lines being staggered, a plurality of bails adapted to pass through said plates and straddle said rope, and clamping means therefor.

2. A clamp for wire ropes consisting of two plates each provided with a plurality of openings in two lines, a plurality of bails passing through said openings, and clamping means therefor, said bails and plates being so arranged relative to each other that said plates will form two opposing walls for the object being clamped and said bails will form therefor the side walls.

3. A clamp for Wire ropes consisting of two plates, each provided with a plurality of openings in two parallel lines, the openings in said lines being staggered, a plurality of members provided with threaded ends adapted to pass through said plates on either side of said rope,

I and clamping means for each member.

4. A clamp for wire ropes consisting of two 

